Falling back: youth policy in England

Abstract

This article discusses the impact of youth policy of successive governments on local authority youth services and youth work in England. It highlights that youth policy is no longer the sole responsibility for youth services to respond and deliver upon. A wide range of education, leisure, social care and health services seek to address the needs of young people. This is a review of youth policy in England and how it has impacted upon youth work. There has been a growth of new non-youth work services in the past 20 years that has seen youth work fall back to become one of many services meeting the needs of young people. The growth of family work has further impacted upon youth services as well as the variety of non-government agencies, voluntary groups and charities engaged in delivering services for young people. As youth policy has grown as the role of youth work, youth workers and youth services has fallen back to be one of many responses.